NOV 17 -- (Indianapolis) A medical doctor with an office in Broad Ripple, Indiana was sentenced to six years (72 months) federal imprisonment by U. S. District Chief Judge David F. Hamilton on November 12, 2008. The sentencing of Dr. Adolfo P. Hernandez, 67, of Noblesville, is the result of his guilty plea to unlawfully dispensing Oxycodone, a Schedule II controlled substance, outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose.

Oxycodone is a central nervous system depressant and is often prescribed for pain management. Trade name Oxycodone products include Oxycotin, Percocet, Percodan and Tylox. Abuse of Oxycodone may lead to dependence and tolerance, and acute overdose of Oxycodone can produce severe respiratory depression, skeletal muscle flaccidity, cold and clammy skin, reduction in blood pressure and heart rate, coma, respiratory arrest, and death.

Hernandez, a licensed medical physician in the State of Indiana, dispensed Oxycodone outside the scope of his professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose from December 2007 through March of 2008. Hernandez admitted to writing prescriptions to individuals when there was no legitimate medical need to do so. The case against Hernandez was the result of a thirteen-month long investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Indianapolis Metropolitan Drug Task Force. Over the course of the investigation, undercover officers posed as patients who met with Hernandez to get prescriptions for pain killing medication. The covertly recorded undercover meetings showed that Hernandez met with the undercover officers and wrote prescriptions for Oxycodone and Xanax after the officers paid him $125 in cash. Hernandez wrote the prescriptions without performing any medical examinations.

“The abuse of highly addictive pain killers like Oxycodone is a problem that continues to plague our society,” stated Gary G. Olenkiewicz, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Chicago Field Division which covers the state of Indiana. “When a doctor prescribes addictive narcotics outside the scope of their medical professional practice, especially without examining a patient, they are illegally dealing drugs just like a street dealer. The DEA continues to be committed to work with our federal, state and local counterparts to bring these rogue doctors to justice.”

In addition to writing prescriptions to undercover police officers, Hernandez also wrote prescriptions for individuals who resided in Science Hill, Kentucky, and Somerset, Kentucky which is 250 miles from Indianapolis.

Assistant United States Attorney Barry D. Glickman, who prosecuted the case for the government, said the Chief Judge Hamilton also imposed 6 years supervised release following Hernandez’ release from imprisonment. Hernandez’ Indiana medical license is currently suspended, pending resolution of this case.